Safe In The Nest

A friend of mine loves animals.
She raised three daughters and homeschooled each of them.
She wanted to find a little job she could do that would still allow her to be at home.
She decided that she would take care of her neighbor’s pets while they were away or at work.

She told me about how wonderful her job was for her health and well being.
Walking dogs a few times a day gave her the exercise she longed for without going to the gym.
She loves people and walking the dogs allowed her to meet people on her walks.
She cared for whatever animals were in the person’s home and she loved every minute of it.

She told me a story about something that happened recently.
She was walking up to the door of a home and she heard a rustling noise.
The noise was coming from the tree near the front door.
She looked up and a huge bird came out of the tree with a baby bird in its beak.

It was such an easy steal, my friend said.
Where was the mother bird or the father bird? She wondered.
Loving animals as much as she does, this really upset her.
I pondered over the spiritual significance, she told me.

Another man I know loves photography.
His photographs of birds, flowers, and the beauty he sees on his nature walks is amazing.
He posted a similar story.
It was another story involving a bird.

Close call while watering the garden as a bird (young starling?) flew right by me.
Then there was a much louder wing beat.
The resident Coopers Hawk caught up with it at the front door.
The event was over in less than 10 seconds; The ‘Coop’ will have dinner tonight.

I read some of the comments on his post.
Nature at its finest.
The “food chain” is fascinating!
I thought of something more.

We live in a fallen world.
The wolf will lie down with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the goat.
The calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)
One day.

My friend, who is the pet sitter, added some more thoughts to her story.
There were NO birds chasing the big bird, she said.
There was no one guarding the nest.
She said more than she knew.

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.  “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’  When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:21-26)

Who is guarding the nest?
We are to guard our hearts and minds. (Proverbs 4:23)
We are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
My friend said it best.

If we are not careful to take every thought captive, something else will.
Something of the world, she continued.
And what an easy target we will be.
We will be just like the bird.

I could not get her words out of my mind.
We will be just like the bird.
We are easy prey.
The enemy is ready to swoop down.

But God.

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:4-9)

When we come to Christ in faith, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Nothing can swoop down and take us out of His hand.
We are not like the house that was swept clean but not filled with Christ.
That house is vulnerable and an easy prey.

When we are in Christ, we are kept.
We are protected from the evil one.
There will be predators that lurk, but they lurk in vain.
We are His; we are safe in the nest.

What a comfort.
What a promise.
In this fallen world there are still predators that swoop down and try to torment for a time.
But God, who is tender hearted and rich in mercy, protects those that are His in Christ.

God guards the nest.
God never leaves us or forsakes us.
God engraves us on the palms of His hand.
Rest, child of God, for you are safe in the nest.

 

2 responses to “Safe In The Nest”

1. Great application… I often see this or the effects of the hawk left behind having witnessed other takings of birds by a hawk or a squirrel by the fox that lives nearby. But one day all of this conflict and predation will be gone and we will live in true peace with Christ our Savior. We don’t yet know the details of this future time but by faith we look with eager anticipation of the arrival of that day.

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   • Amen, Al. “But one day all of this conflict and predation will be gone and we will live in true peace with Christ our Savior.” I could not have said it any better than that.
     Gina

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